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Re:(meteorobs) Micrometeorites in your backyard?
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Message text written by INTERNET:meteorobs@latrade.com
"I apologize if this is on the verge of being off-topic but folks might
like
to check out http://freeweb.pdqdot net/headstrong/met.htm
It's about collecting micrometeorites in your backyard and "visually"
observing them through a microscope. Personally, I can't believe it would
work, but I don't have access to a working microscope just now, so I can't
check it out. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who's tried it.
(Preferably by private email rather than to this list, I think, since the
list is likely to get really busy.)
Cheers
David Cross"
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David,
Hopefully others will have more up to date information but here is what I
learned a while back. Maybe someone can dispute the following.
I checked into collecting micrometeorites using the methods outlined on
that webpage a few years ago and consulted two space dust scientists about
it. One is a meteoritic dust scientist who collects dust particles at high
altitudes with a specially equipped U2 plane and another is a meteoritic
dust professor at the University of New Mexico. Both told me that
collecting micrometeorites is not feasible by the methods outlined on the
web page. It is difficult to identify micrometeorites and there are many
varieties of airborne industrial particles that look like rounded iron
micrometeorites.
Also, if I remember right, one scientist told me that a 1 meter square
meteoritic dust collector would collect only one meteoritic particle per
month. I have not seen scientific papers on this though.
Actually, I would love it if you could collect space dust so simply. I
myself have a microscope and have spent time collecting airborne pollen on
slides smeared with petroleum jelly. It's a fascinating way to explore the
microworlds and a good project for kids.
Tom Ashcraft
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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